Video: Roombots Transform Into Reconfigurable Furniture

Robotic self-assembly techniques range from Harvard's engineered DNA to MIT's macro-scale M-Blocks. Now the Swiss Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) has developed robotic blocks that autonomously self-assemble to form different styles of reconfigurable, adaptive furniture.

Researchers from the EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory created the Roombot modules. Each module is 22 cm (8.66 inches) long and consists of two spheres with flattened sides that are joined together on one side. As lead researcher Auke Ijspeert, head of the lab, explains in the video below, each module is made of four half-spheres that can rotate against each other. A battery and three motors inside each module give it three degrees of freedom, allowing it to move and change its shape. A wireless link lets the modules communicate with one another.

A table being assembled by robotic Roombot modules invented by the Swiss Ecole PolytechniqueFederale de Lausanne for creating reconfigurable furniture.(Source: Biorobotics Laboratory, EPFL)

Each active module's outer surface has both active connectors or grippers (which can be extended or retracted like claws) and receptor holes to accept the grippers of another module. The grippers attach themselves and their modules to other active modules or to passive modules, which can be functional items such as lamps. They also can attach themselves to receptor holes in specially designed flat, passive surfaces that accept the Roombots' mechanical claws and act as anchors in the room. These flat surfaces are attached to other pieces of furniture or to the floor or walls.

Through their rotations and connections with other objects, the Roombots can form structures of various shapes and sizes, including stools, chairs, tables, desks, and couches. The robots can also form feet and wheels for another piece of furniture, such as a table or lamp, which can wheeled around to an elderly or disabled person. This is demonstrated in the video at the 1:38 mark, when the robots are shown slowly moving a table around a room. Such assistive technology is one of the main applications Ijspeert envisions for the Roombots. Another, he says in the video, is for artists and designers to design their own furniture.

"Eventually, all you'll need to do is program the layout of a bedroom or a conference room, then let the modules do the work," Ijspeert said in a press release. To keep costs down and make sure the structures are solid and stable enough, the team has focused on constructing hybrid furniture, which is made of both solid elements and active robotic modules. When not in use, the modules can form a wall or a box. They could be especially useful in places where furniture needs change frequently, such as a conference room or a space station.

The team is working on improvements such as faster speed, smoother and more optimized movements, improved algorithms for determining the sequence of motor actions, and a variety of user interfaces for designing a room's layout, such as a tablet.

The researchers have published their work in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (subscription required). You can see more photos and movies of the Roombots on this page of the Biorobotics Laboratory's website. The research was funded in part by the Swiss National Centre for Competence in Research Robotics.

Ann, absolutely! That decision is very often in front of us. But as an engineeri I often think about those in engineering who fail to consider it. Certainly that same question should pester our lawmakers and judges a whole lot more than it apparently does.

Ann, that question about "should I?" is especially applical to engineers because at least some of us are so very creative but not every idea that pops up is a good one. They would work but not benefit anybody. And some ideas are for creations that would simply be a waste of time, effort, and materials.

AnandY, while a more active robot with arms that can manipulate objects--such as pouring the glass of water to begin with--might be more helpful overall, that wasn't the point of this R&D experiment. It would also cost a lot, lot, lot more than these simple building blocks. And it would use a lot more power. This design is definitely created to do what you said: simple tasks such as moving objects closer to a disabled or elderly person, as we state in the article.

William, I use the "Yes we can but that doesn't mean we should" example often in daily life, although not usually in terms of engineering. In this case, though, we're talking about robotics, and especially self-assembling and self-reconfiguring robots, which is still a new and, I think, exciting, field where a lot of experimentation is going on--like this. I may not like the way these building blocks look, but I'm still intrigued by what the engineers are trying to accomplish.

Having to create roombots to help people is excellent. But definitely it would be much better having to create a robot in itself that can help people will be ultimately perfect. This technology seems like it is just meant to fulfill certain easy things like bringing a chair or moving things in general. All the batteries that are required are another thing to consider when it comes to the expense.

Ann, probably what these robotic furniture cells would be most useful for is some sort of really wierd science fiction movie. You are certainly correct about the openings being both integral and undesireable. It all brings to mind a line from an engineering ethics discussion, "Yes, I can do that, BUT SHOULD I?" There are lots of things engineers can create that would be very interesting challenges, but they would not be a benefit to anybody, and many would do real harm. And there are huge areas of "things" that would not do any harm, but they would only be a waste of time and resources.

fm, good question about charging and what happens if the batteries wear down during service. I suspect that's already been taken into account, since it's a basic robotics design question. But aesthetics is a different story. I do like green and black, but (mostly) not inside my house. And I agree, I thought this was a weird idea, too. But that made me want to find out more about it.

A few weeks ago, Ford Motor Co. quietly announced that it was rolling out a new wrinkle to the powerful safety feature called stability control, adding even more lifesaving potential to a technology that has already been very successful.

It won't be too much longer and hardware design, as we used to know it, will be remembered alongside the slide rule and the Karnaugh map. You will need to move beyond those familiar bits and bytes into the new world of software centric design.

People who want to take advantage of solar energy in their homes no longer need to install a bolt-on solar-panel system atop their houses -- they can integrate solar-energy-harvesting shingles directing into an existing or new roof instead.

Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.